The Chatroom
by blue razz gal
Summary: In Weredad, what if Marinette's dad was prevented by the akumatized baby August's hand coming through the wall on the stairwell when he went upstairs to check on Marinette? What if Marinette's parents hadn't witnessed Marinette's confession to Chat? In other words: Marinette must pretend to be Chat Noir's biggest fan.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: please leave reviews! Thanks 3

**Chapter One**

(Per the description, Marinette's dad does not interrupt Chat and Mari's moment.)

As with most things she said, it had just slipped out. It wasn't _entirely _her fault; Chat's prompting had made her finish the sentence as naturally as a phone's autofill feature. Her running into his arms was both to convince him of the supposed truth of her hastily blurted confession and to hide the blush that overtook her face. This was Chat Noir; not Adrien.

She pulled back after the hug. Baby August had become fussy in being pushed aside for Marinette's hug but still tugged on her pigtail when she pulled back. "Labybug" August babbled.

"That's what I was going to say," Chat muttered. "But there's no way you're m'lady. She doesn't love me; she's said as much."

"I'm sure she cares for you in her own way," Marinette said, trying not to let the indignation she felt seep into her voice.

"How can you say you love me if you don't even know me, though?" Chat's tone wasn't accusatory but genuinely curious.

She responded, "I was just using…a hyperbole! I'm a big fan, that's all ahahahah…" She averted her eyes.

"Wow, really?" She wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic, coy, or the bumbling idiot persona he usually reserved for encounters with Ladybug. "Look, Marinette, whether you love me or are just a fan, it's still nice to be appreciated. Can't remember the last time I had a fan."

At this he seemed genuinely sad. "Well, consider yourself a celebrity," she said, beaming in an effort to cheer him up.

He smiled back at her. "Thanks, I may stop by again." That was when her resolve was made; Chat Noir would be celebrated just as much as Ladybug as long as she had something to say about it.

It wouldn't be easy. His visits were few and far between, and when he did show up to talk to his "number one fan," she was usually too busy to really get to know him. It was crazy, she realized, how little her role as Ladybug had taught her about being a superhero. From the way Chat spoke, every minute of his everyday life was a test, every action a measure of his heroicness. He told her that he struggled to be the peacemaker in the situations he knew would cause conflict; without naming them, he told her the difficulties of sorting out fights between his friends and their enemies without making those people _his _enemies. He told her that half of him wanted to rebel against the rules that kept him in line while the other half kept his feet rooted firmly to where he stood, not challenging the authority of a father who loved him. Marinette took all this in, notepad in hand, though she wrote nothing down. Her goal had been to start something of a copycat (excuse the pun) of the Ladyblog; it was be called the Chatroom and would feature any cool facts about Chat Noir that she could weasel out of him. She found herself in a predicament, however, because it seemed that everything she asked could be turned into some sort of philosophical discussion.

"What's your favorite food?" She'd ask, twirling her eraser around.

"Well, I'd say ravioli for taste, but my real favorite is spaghetti because it was…someone-important-to-me's favorite." He would smile up at her as she struggled to fit all that into a normal answer. "Spaghetti" would have to suffice.

"What are you drawing?" he'd asked one night, looking at her notepad.

"Nothing," she smiled nervously, trying to change the subject. She didn't want him to find out about her blog, which was still in the works. "I wish I knew some other Chat Noir fans I could talk to." _Why do I always revert back to the whole "I'm a huge fan" excuse?_

"Hey, I'm a fan." He flashed a smile, but she gave him a deadpan look. "Alright, well I have it on pretty good authority that Adrien Agreste is a HUGE Chat Noir fan."

Marinette's breath caught in her throat. "But I'm around Adrien Agreste all the time. He never talks about it."

"He doesn't talk about much at all—I MEAN, I know because I…visit him, just like I visit you." His smile grew more and more nervous.

"I'll have to ask him about it, then." She knew she would never get the courage to do so, though. "It's just so hard to talk to him, though," she mumbled.

Chat looked confused. "I'm not—I don't find him hard to talk to."

"That's because he LIKES you. He's your fan. It'd be way easier if I didn't…"

"If you didn't what?" He was closer now, too close.

"If I didn't have a huge crush on him…" She looked away in embarrassment.

"I think you should still talk to him," Chat added lightly. He couldn't promise her Adrien's affection, because it was already given to Ladybug. "You could have an amazing friendship, who knows? Just talk to him. Promise me you'll do it tomorrow."

She looked up at him in disbelief. "I won't promise that! I can't even look at him without tripping all over myself and stuttering."

Chat internally snickered at this. _You're looking at him right now and you're doing just fine. _"Well," he said, sighing and standing as he stretched out his arms. "I guess I'll just have to tell _him _to talk to _you._"

"Wait! No, Chat!" she yelled, but he was already out the window and gone.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: let me know what you think in the reviews!

**Chapter Two**

Marinette had sat up all night, wracked with worry. As it turned out, Chat really had told Adrien to talk to her, because as soon as school ended the next day, and most of the class had already walked out of the room, he leaned his arms on her desk and said, "I heard you're a Chat Noir fan." It was the kind of conspiratorial, soft whisper meant to pass between close friends.

"HahahaHA where'd you hear that?" Her eyes bounced around the room, unable to meet his, which were looking right at her.

"A little _kitty _told me." He giggled, and soon she was giggling, lack of sleep taking its toll.

"Does he really visit you?" she asked in wonder. It made his visits with her feel less special.

He seemed to notice the crestfallen look on her face, so he improvised. "Just twice! Once when he saved life, and the other time last night…when he wanted me to talk to you."

Her face turned red, but for once this had nothing to do with Adrien's proximity. "Wow, that's…so nice."

"Do you want me to walk you back to the bakery?" he asked, slight smiles forming on both of their faces.

"Oh! Um, sure!" She was quite flustered at this point.

He offered her his arm. "Shall we go, m'lady?" he joked.

She blanched at the familiarity of the phrase. "Wow, you've really picked up some of his mannerisms, are you sure you haven't been around him more than twice?" she asked.

"I'm sure. I'm a huge fan; of course I know his signature _cat_ch phrase."

"Right, right," she said, taking his arm and walking with him toward her house.

"I really wish there was some sort of Chat Noir fan club, you know? We could talk and all." Adrien had rehearsed these words earlier, wanting to find a way to connect with Marinette. He wouldn't mind a fan club anyway.

"Me too," she said, not meeting his eyes.

"May I come in?" he asked as they neared her door.

"Uh, sure…I guess."

They went up to her room. Immediately, he sat on the floor, in a very similar position to that of Chat…They played video games for a few hours before he went home. Oddly enough, as soon as he left, Chat showed up. She should have been asleep, but she needed to scold him first.

"Hey, _Purrr_incess, how was your day?" She punched his arm. "Ow!"

"You made Adrien talk to me!" she cried.

"I didn't _make _him do anything. I asked him to. And he said yes." He looked concern at her sudden sadness.

"He only did it because he's such a big fan of yours! He thought it would get him on your good side." She was pouting, turned away from him.

"Why would he do that?" He'd really dug himself a hole here, all to cheer Marinette up, and for what? It certainly hadn't worked very well. He'd noticed as Adrien that she wasn't really enjoying herself either. She seemed nervous the entire time.

"He's never shown interest in me before, and suddenly he's walking me home, playing games with me—"

"Have you ever thought that maybe he might have a crush on you, too?!" They both froze. He'd yelled loud enough that her parents would have heard, and she knew they couldn't see Chat Noir in her room so late at night. Who knew what kind of trouble she'd be in?

"Hurry, hide!" she whisper-yelled, pushing him into her closet. She went and lay down on her bed just as her parents peeked into the room. Satisfied, they crept back down the stairs as they slowly shut the trapdoor to her room.

She walked over to Chat's hiding spot and opened the door, slightly annoyed. "Chat, I already know Adrien doesn't have a crush on me."

"But how can you be so sure?"

"I just…I just know, okay?"

"That's how I feel about Ladybug," Chat said, looking sadly out the window.

"Hey, you don't know for sure that she doesn't—" she started.

He interrupted her. "That's ironic. If I don't know for sure, then neither do you."

"Alright, fine. But even if he does have a crush on me, nothing will ever come of it. He has never acted on it."

"And Ladybug has never acted on any feelings towards me. Let's make a deal," he said, eyes flashing with mischief.

"No, no way, I'm not making any deals with YOU."

He feigned hurt, placing a hand over his heart. "I can't believe you'd say something like that, Princess. It'll be harmless, trust me." He stuck out his hand for her to shake.

She looked at it for a moment before finally giving in. "Alright," she said, putting her hand in his. "What's the deal?"

"We'll both do some sweet gesture? You do something great for Adrien, I'll do something for Ladybug, and then we can tell each other how it went. Deal?" he pled.

"Okay, fine. Just give me a couple more weeks, alright? I've been working on something already and I want to make it perfect before I show Adrien." He winked in reply and bounded out the window.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Let me know what you think! To the guest who said my fight scenes are awkward: yes, I know lol I am so bad at writing them, so any tips would be great! I guess it comes from a tendency I have; even when I am reading books, I tend to skip through exposition to dialogue (if the exposition is boring or technical, like a fight scene). I have been reading more narrative-driven stuff lately though, so I will hopefully be able to write better narrative soon :)

**Chapter Three**

It did end up taking Marinette several days to compile all the information necessary to make the Chatroom possible. She had to talk to Chat and find out more about him as his visits grew closer and closer together. They'd formed a sort of friendship in the time that he'd been coming around, and it wasn't unusual for Marinette to find herself thinking about the implications of their friendship. If she was to act as a "reporter," the same way Alya had, then wouldn't it be unwise to get too close to her subject? Couldn't it end in heartache, like she had seen happen in the earlier Spiderman movies? [A/N: in this house we love Tobey Maguire's Spidey, thanks.] But she kept reminding herself that all of this was for Adrien.

The website would be launched very soon. In the meantime, she waited for Chat's big gesture for Ladybug. She expected something simple. A rose, a card, maybe some chocolates. What she didn't expect was for him to take an interview from a large news/gossip channel. Midway through said interview, the reporter mentioned that fans had been dying to know how he felt about Ladybug. And he'd professed his undying love for her in poetic terms that made the women of Paris swoon before their television screens. "So," he said after he finished his poem. "What do you say, Bugaboo?"

"You wouldn't want to turn this cat down _now, _would you?" Annoyingly, the reporter was Nadja Chamack. "The whole world—or at least all of Paris—eagerly awaits your response."

To say she was livid was an understatement. How could Chat put her on the spot like that? When she expressed her anger to Tikki, she received the "Well, he meant well, Marinette" that she had been expecting.

"But he must have known I hate the publicity. There's no excuse for this kind of behavior from him, good intentions or not." Just as she finished huffing and puffing, she heard a knock at her window. The last person she wanted to see at the moment.

"Marinette, what did you think? I wanted it to be perfect. I want her to see that I really do love her and to notice that I am putting in a lot of effort." Chat looked nervous, but not like he'd just put his heart out in the open; it was more like he was awaiting judgment for a cake he'd entered into a contest.

She finally met his eyes, her own sending him a glare from beneath her furrowed brows. "Did you ever think about what Ladybug wants?" she asked, anger punctuating each sharp word.

"What…what are you saying? She wouldn't like that?" He had the audacity to still look hopeful.

"Are you kidding? Who wants to be put in the spotlight like that? Chat Noir, now the public eye will be on her at all times. How is she supposed to keep her identity secret? Did you even think before you did any of that?"

Chat wilted before her. "You're right, Marinette. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll…I'll get going, now."

As he leapt away, Marinette could have sworn she saw tears rolling down his face.

When Marinette went to school the next day, she had the website all prepared. She'd put in all the information she'd learned from Chat, everything from his favorite foods to his feelings about many situations. She didn't want Chat to know that she had made the website, and as long as she made sure nobody was putting theories about his identity or any slander on the Chatroom website, then she was sure Adrien would approve. She added a chat feature at the last minute to make the name fit.

She whispered to Adrien in front of her. "Hey, guess what?"

Adrien looked downcast. "What?"

She was almost scared to tell him when he was in such a sad mood, but she decided that it could possibly cheer him up, so it would be worth it. "I made a fan website for Chat Noir. It's called the Chatroom."

He bristled a little bit and seemed more irritated. This was not the reaction she was expecting at all. "That's great, Marinette, I'll check it out later." And that was where the discussion ended.

She meandered home after school, taking her time to stop and help in the bakery, though she was in a daze. Why had Adrien been so upset? To her surprise, she arrived in her room to see none other than Chat Noir.

"Chat? What are you doing here?"

"So this whole time," he said coldly, stepping aside to reveal that he'd pulled up the Chatroom on her computer, "you were only befriending me so that you could make this website for your gesture for Adrien?"

"What?" she asked, stunned. "Chat, I—"

He backed away from the hand she extended to him. "And you're doing what you were upset at me for doing. The public eye will be on me at all times now, just like you said. Once this thing gains popularity, who's to say my identity won't be found out? And I can guarantee that when that happens, Adrien will be just as mad as I am." He muttered the last sentence, and Marinette wasn't sure she heard it right.

"Chat, you can't believe that I was only your friend because of Adrien—"

"I don't have to believe it," Chat said, finally looking away from her. "It's still true."

"Chat," she breathed, knowing that it was wrong for her to be angry, but she was. "Why would I have sat through all of the random, unnecessary Ladybug talk that had nothing to do with the Chatroom, if I didn't want to be your friend?"

"If you think insulting me is a good way to prove your innocence, you're…" He didn't finish the thought. "I thought you were good, Marinette. I thought we could be close friends."

He turned away, stepping towards her window. "But it's clear we can't be anything without you making it about Adrien."

"And what about you?" she yelled after him, stopping him in his tracks. She was angry now, too. "You made everything about Ladybug. Why? Why does it have to be about her? There's nothing good about her, and you should realize that by now."

Chat looked back over his shoulder. "And since you insist on slandering the one person who is always there for me, I can't—" he swallowed. She wondered if his anger was the kind that resulted in crying, and if it was, she didn't know how much longer she could let her defensive pride get in the way. "Don't expect me back here. And don't expect Adrien to like you, after I tell him what you've done." And to punctuate his seriousness, he stepped through the window and didn't look back once.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Tell me what you think in the reviews!

**Chapter Four**

"_Two-Timing Tomcat?" _the article's title read. Marinette had received a photo of herself and Chat on her balcony that night he'd been looking for a pacifier (with baby August, who was obscured in the picture) from an anonymous fan on her website. The image was zoomed in to the point where it was unclear where it was taken, but the fact that he had a girl in his arms (even though the girl's face was turned away) was clear as day. Her website had a section for articles and blog posts, which was called the "_Cat_alogue," and one of Chat's fans, self-proclaimed "Copycats," had submitted the article alongside the picture for Marinette's moderation. Marinette carefully muddied any details in the article (like where the photo was taken) that could endanger her or Chat, choosing to leave in the author's rumors and theories that pointed slightly in the wrong direction, throwing off the trail of any eager fans—or worse, reporters—looking for some dirt on Chat's personal life. He'd made her so angry the night before that she wanted revenge, and when it was served to her on a silver platter like this, how could she turn it away?

It wasn't entirely about revenge. The media was pestering Ladybug; any time Ladybug wasn't fighting crime, the press were accusing Ladybug of heartlessness for ignoring Chat Noir's confession. Even when she told them he was just a flirt, they wouldn't believe her. This article would show that Chat Noir was a flirt, and it would take the pressure off of Ladybug. Their battle chemistry had certainly suffered for it; lack of communication had caused them to stumble through fight after fight, barely getting by. Hawkmoth seemed to be reading the situation because he sent less difficult akumas for a couple of weeks, although it's also possible that he was too busy to come up with harder ones. And once he decided to get back into the game, so to speak, the whole Chat confession situation needed to be over and done so she could fight without having a camera in her face at all times.

Sighing, she sat back, about to add the article to the website. Adrien had ignored her all day, even sent a glare her way when she tried to speak to him. It was really strange and hypocritical, especially for someone who had told her to give Lila the benefit of the doubt. He wasn't really directly affected by either bad deed, yet he judged her all the more harshly for it. She clicked the approve button, shut down her computer, and decided to go out for some fresh air. Glancing at the cloudy sky, she grabbed her umbrella and left her room in the mess it had been for the past couple of tiresome, worrying days.

She was just looking for a place to sit and rest for a moment when she heard sobs coming from further down the street. She looked around the road, which was deserted because of the oncoming weather, and glimpsed Adrien sitting on a bench hidden under an awning, alone. She knew he wouldn't talk to her as Marinette, so she transformed into Ladybug in an alley and swung over to him, perching next to him on the bench.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked.

At this, he quickly wiped away his tears, revealing his blushing face. "Nothing, I'm fine," he said, unable to fake a smile.

"Well," she said, wiping a stray tear from his chin. "This doesn't look like "fine" to me."

"It's rain, that's all," he tried, wiping his face again.

She stuck her hand out to catch some rain, then tried with her other hand, then ran around to try and cheer him up. "Rain? Localized only on your face?" [please go watch steamed hams, thanks]

He chuckled a bit. "Since when do you do checkups on random citizens?"

"I was just nearby, wanted to prevent any possible akumas. Plus," she added, "it's not like I'm the only one doing it. Chat Noir's getting cozy with civilians, too, according to this article I read." She regretted it as soon as she said it.

He looked away. "You saw it, too? I know the website's creator. It's a shame that she'd slander Chat Noir that way." _Was he really such a big fan of Chat Noir that such a thing could cause him to sob?_

"Slander? What do you mean?" Ladybug sat down, deflating a little.

"Well, if YOU don't know Chat Noir well enough to know he isn't a flirt, or a two-timer, or whatever you want to call it, and you're his partner," he said, finally looking back to her with a resolve that she conjectured was the thin veil over his anger, "then there's no way Marinette really knows him. Why would she post a picture of Chat Noir with _her _and then try to pass it off as some sort of romantic scene?"

"How do you know it's her?" Ladybug asked, panicked. If Adrien could tell, what if others could tell it was her?

"I'd know those pigtails anywhere," he said. [oof that's what I call irony]

"If that _is _her in the picture…then she couldn't have taken the picture. It looks like someone else is trying to slander her." The rain started to pour as he spoke.

Adrien pulled up the website on his phone. Sure enough, the author of the post was not Marinette but someone called "Catrina19." "Who…" Adrien let his sentence trail off.

"We could do some investigating and find out who," Ladybug added lightly.

"I'll think about it," Adrien muttered. And now she really felt horrible.

Standing, she made to leave, but then she saw how the rain poured. Turning back to him, she held out the umbrella, reminiscent of the moment she first developed a crush on him. But she was Marinette then, and Marinette was a person she no longer recognized. He looked up, seemingly awestruck, and took the umbrella, hand touching hers. Graceful as he was, the umbrella didn't close on him and obscure his view, so she had to turn and walk away to hide her brimming tears from him.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: what do you think of the story so far? Please give me suggestions!

**Chapter Five**

Marinette de-transformed when she finally got back to her room. Hawkmoth had sent a very difficult akuma to ruin her day this time, and when she tried to run off to get a moment's rest after Chat had already left at the end of the fight, the press had cornered her.

"_Ladybug, when do you plan to answer Chat Noir's confession?" one ambitious reporter asked, shoving a microphone in Ladybug's face._

"_What are your feelings for him? They can't be good, since it's taking you so long to confess them," another reporter said, smirking._

_Suddenly, she couldn't take it anymore, and she felt the outburst coming just seconds before it hit. "Quite frankly, it's none of your business what my feelings are, and just because Chat Noir made his feelings public, that doesn't mean mine are or ever will be. Haven't I saved you enough times already—don't I deserve some peace and quiet?" she scolded, unleashing her judgment on them all. The reporters had mixed reactions; a few scoffs resounded, though some of the reporters had the decency to turn and lurk away. _

Now, sitting in her desk chair, she put her hands over her eyes. She just _knew _that the news networks would be slandering her as soon as they could get the airtime to do so. Ironically, because she saved them from danger daily, the civilians did not see much bad news, so the reporters could make superhero gossip and drama a priority. Sighing again, she clicked open her website, trying to log in. But when she entered her password, it did not work. Frustrated, she tried again, entering a few variations of her password when that didn't work. All of a sudden, a message hit the screen: "YOU ARE LOCKED OUT FOR 35 YEARS. CONTACT THE ADMIN FOR HELP." She groaned with the frustration she had built up over the past few days. Now she couldn't even view the website, which would likely lose popularity as posts went unapproved for as long as she was locked out. After all the pain it had caused Adrien, she didn't really want much to do with the website anymore, anyway. It was just a waste of time at this point. But she did know someone who had an account and could help her out…

It was weird for her to visit Adrien's house at all, but it was especially weird that she was doing it in full Ladybug attire and in the middle of the night, though she knew it was necessary to keep her visit secret and to ensure Adrien would speak to her, since he wouldn't speak to her as Marinette. The idea was crazy, and she'd taken a few days to deliberate over the sanity of it, until her need to see Adrien (and stop having such horrible interactions with him as the ones she experienced as Marinette) trumped her rationality. She perched outside his window, looking in to see the foot of the bed where he must be asleep. It had taken a little while to think through what she wanted to say, but she thought she'd surely have it by now. Gingerly, she tapped on the glass closest to his bed, receiving an answer a few moments later from a very bewildered Adrien.

"Ladybug?" he asked, rubbing his eyes, trying his best to look more awake and alert. "What are you doing here?"

Even though she knew he may ask this, her mouth dried up at the question. His hair was sticking out at very Chat-Noir-esque angles, and he even sounded like Chat for a moment. "I'm just wondering if you've found out who posted the picture of Chat Noir and Marinette."

"I…No. I'm sorry," he said, sounding nervous, as if he had forgotten to turn in some huge school assignment.

"Well…" She thought about how to explain herself. "I confronted Marinette, and she said she didn't know who took the picture." It was true; she couldn't remember the user name, and even if she could, she wouldn't know who they actually were. "But she did say that she has been locked out of her account, so I was wondering if I could use your account to look at who posted it."

"Sure, but we will have to go to the electronics room," he stated, looking even more nervous than before. "I'm grounded, so all my stuff is up there."

She didn't ask why because he didn't seem too sad or surprised by the fact. "We'll make it quick," she assured him after considering all the other people she could possibly ask but determining that it would be too risky to ask anyone she hadn't already spoken to as Ladybug.

Adrien peeked around outside his room, beckoning for her to follow him down the hall toward the electronics room. Thankfully, the security system was under maintenance, so they only had to avoid the view of half the usual number of cameras. As they neared the door to the electronics room, Adrien froze, looking at her with wide eyes. Both could hear footsteps coming down the hall. Fearing what being caught could mean for Adrien, Marinette grabbed his hand and pulled him with her in the other direction until he found a closet for them to hide in, just in time for the footsteps to near where they were. In the closet, they could just barely hear the footsteps, so they decided to wait out the noise until they were absolutely sure the person was gone. It wasn't exactly unpleasant to have less than an inch of space between herself and the boy she loved, but Marinette was getting flustered more quickly than she would like to admit.

"It's too risky," she said, looking down and shaking her head, which he could only see by the small amount of light coming from the tiny space between the door and the frame. They were facing each other, scared to death of being caught. "I'll find another way. I'm sorry, Adrien."

"Hey," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "It's no big deal. I can figure out what you want to know. Or, come back tomorrow, and we can find out together."

They both blushed at their closeness and the sweetness of his words. "Really?" she asked. "Don't you think it would get you in huge trouble if you were to be caught sneaking around with Ladybug?"

He chuckled quietly. "I'd take any grounding for you." He blanched at his words, perfectly balanced with the huge blush Marinette experienced at them. "I mean, since you save us, er, Paris, all the time, that is."

She looked away. "I don't hear the footsteps anymore."

"Let's go," he said, pulling her along with him and back to his room, a journey which, thankfully, passed without struggle. When she hopped out the window and went to leave, she turned back, a conflicted look on her face.

"Listen," she said, peeking her head back into his room. "Marinette mentioned that you were upset with her over the website. I just wanted you to know that she didn't mean to cause any harm."

The sincerity in Ladybug's words seared Adrien's heart. As she left, he looked after her, thinking it over as he lay in bed until the sun rose, when Nathalie promptly delivered his electronics back to him because he was ungrounded. Picking up his phone, he dialed Max's number. "I need another favor," he said.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: just to be clear, Marinette is the admin for her website. So the fact that she was locked out of her account is super sketchy.

**Chapter Six**

She was dead tired. Between the akuma and the amount of homework she had, she was ready to clock out by the time she reached her room that night. She glanced at the clock: 10:30 p.m. _Just a quick nap before I visit Adrien, _she thought. Instead, she awoke nine hours later to her parents shaking her awake. "You're going to be late for school, honey!"

She rushed to class, much like the day rushed by. Though she felt well-rested, she felt dazed, like she'd stood up too quickly from her seat. Like she'd missed something important. It hit her when she lay her head on her pillow that night: _Adrien! _As she made her way to his house later that night, she grew lost in thought, wondering how the drama between her and Chat Noir would pan out, if it ever did. Unaware of her surroundings, she slammed right into the object of her thoughts.

He rubbed his head as he helped her up. "What's with the crash landing, bugaboo?"

She rolled her eyes, making to leave. "I'm busy."

"Where are you going?"

She huffed, realizing that he was following her and that the only way to get him to leave would be to answer his questions. "Adrien Agreste's house."

"Why?" She glared at him in answer. "Regardless, you shouldn't visit him."

"What?" she asked incredulously. "How do you know?"

"I went to see him yesterday," he said, shifting from foot to foot. "And he told me he had a modeling gig all day and would be dead asleep by nine tonight. He was pretty bummed that he had to leave all his stuff behind during the photoshoot, too."

"What stuff?"

"You know, his phone and electronics." Chat Noir looked coyly to the side. "He's grounded."

"So, his phone is…not with him?" she wondered aloud.

"Yes, I assume. Why do you ask?"

And that's how she found herself with Chat Noir, scaling the side of Adrien Agreste's home. She knocked on a windowpane, pushing it in at a certain angle. "Wow," Chat said, genuinely surprised. "How did you know about this entrance? I didn't even know it was here."

"I saw the loose pane a couple days ago when I visited Adrien for…reasons."

They quickly stepped inside, maneuvering down the long hallways. Just when they were right around the corner from the electronics room, the familiar footsteps from the other night could be heard resounding down the hall. Thinking on her feet, she pulled Chat with her into the same closet she'd hid in with Adrien. As soon as they shut the door, Ladybug huffed a sigh and turned sideways, trying not to notice that this crammed her shoulder up against Chat's collarbone. "Why does this keep happening to me?" she muttered.

"So, wait," Chat whispered. "Is Adrien the reason you won't respond to my confession? Do you like him or something?"

Frustrated, Ladybug turned back to him, all too aware that they were breathing the same air. "No, Chat!" she whisper-yelled. "The reason I haven't responded is because of the _way _you confessed. Publicly, Chat, really? It puts too much attention on me and encourages the reporters to get involved in our personal lives."

"Wow," he said again, looking down at his shoes with a chagrined smile on his face. "Maybe I owe Marinette an apology. That's exactly what she said you would think."

"Marinette's forgiven you," Ladybug said quietly. "And she said she is sorry for hurting you with her new website thingy. She told me," Marinette said, beginning to improvise, "that she actually made the website for you. She really did want you to have a fan website. Besides, she was working on it before you even gave her the idea to show it to Adrien. Maybe you should go talk to her."

"You're right," he said, finally looking back at her.

"And I'm just here to clear her name," Ladybug announced quietly. "An article was posted that slandered you, and Adrien was upset because he thought she wrote it. The author is clearly someone else, though. The issue is that she can't find out who wrote it because she was locked out of the website. I also wanted to clear your name and get rid of the article," she mumbled, looking at her shoes. It was all true, but she wasn't used to speaking her mind like this to Chat.

The footsteps had faded long ago, but they stood face to face in the tiny closet. "It's good to know you care about me _at least _a little," he joked, but she still didn't look up. "Hey. I really am grateful."

"I know," she said, turning to open the door. They crept up toward the electronics room, and Ladybug stood back as Chat opened the door. Both of them searched high and wide for Adrien's laptop, phone, or anything, but none of it was there. "Where is it?" She was growing frustrated.

"Maybe you'll have to come back tomorrow, Ladybug," he said, sounding much less defeated than the sentence called for.

"Regardless," she started, pushing Chat toward the door in front of her, "We'll have to find a different exit. Whoever was walking down the hall is likely at the entrance we used before."

"Good thinking," he said, nodding to her. "You can go through his room. If he is as tired as he claims, you can sneak by without waking him."

"Why me?"

"You're the one with good luck," he jabbed, playfully. "Besides, I, uh, I work here during the day, so I can use the workers' exit without raising suspicion."

"So you're older then?" She couldn't help but say her discovery out loud.

"Uh, no, it's a…high school internship?" It came out more like a question, but she decided for the sake of their secret identities that she wouldn't press further.

"Alright," she said, pushing him out the door. He turned around and stopped her.

"I need to de-transform first," he said sheepishly. "Would you mind waiting in here for like, five minutes, so I can get out of here before you find out my identity."

"Of course." She sat around and looked at the electronics that littered the room, waiting for the five minutes to tick by. She peeked out the door, praying that Chat hadn't been caught. Tiptoeing, she made her way to Adrien's room. As she was leaving through the window, she felt a shock of dread as a hand grasped her elbow.

Relief flooded through her at Adrien's voice. "Ladybug?" He looked much less groggy but equally as adorable as he had last time she'd visited.

"Hey," she said. "Go back to sleep. I was just here to fix…Marinette's mess." She cringed internally at her ability to throw herself under the bus while gingerly removing Adrien's hand and placing it back at his side. She turned to leave again.

"Ladybug," he said with resolve this time. She turned toward him, and he leaned up to catch her cheek in a kiss that sent a blush flaming over her face. "Thank you for fixing this."

"No problem," she said, unable to meet his eyes. "But it's Marinette who's doing the most work trying to fix it." She hoped this lifted herself up a little more from her spot splattered on the pavement by the bus of "Marinette's mess." "Just…just remember that when you talk to her again."

Once again, Ladybug's words had been like Cupid's arrow in his heart as both Chat and Adrien. They were so sweet, in fact, that he almost felt bad about what he was about to do.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: sorry for not updating lately guys, I've been feeling very under the weather. This is what I had the energy to write. I also stopped to watch live coverage of the SoCal earthquake, so sorry if this isn't great.

**Chapter Seven**

Adrien had an inkling about Ladybug's identity. What with her fierce protection of Marinette, her knowledge of Marinette's innermost thoughts, and her awareness of Marinette and Chat Noir's conversations, it was almost impossible to miss the connection between the two girls. He didn't have time to think about what he was about to do; he just did it. As Ladybug swung off into the distance, he said, "Plagg, claws out."

He watched from just one rooftop over as Ladybug's feet touched down on the roof of Marinette's parent's bakery and home. He watched her slip down through the trap door and into Marinette's room. _If Ladybug is _not _Marinette, then I will see her leave. If Ladybug _is _Marinette…_He let his thoughts trail off as he sat for roughly 30 minutes, waiting for his Lady to appear. When she didn't, he braced himself and knocked on the trap door. A little over a minute later, Marinette cautiously opened the door to him, allowing him inside. He glanced around the room, and, just as he thought, there was no sign of Ladybug. But he had to find a way to check in the closet she'd hidden him in when he was in her room. Before he could say anything, she put a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand if you're mad," she started. "But I really did make the website for you. I'd been working on it long before I had the notion of showing Adrien. Yes, I was angry with you for your accusations, and yes," she paused, breathing in before she continued. "I approved the article '_Two-Timing Tomcat._' I'm sorry, alright? I wanted to fix it, but my account got hacked, and Ladybug is working to find out who wrote the article so she can ask them to take it down."

"And I forgive you. I promise. Also…I have a confession to make," he said, knowing how big a risk he was about to take. "I…I'm the one who hacked your account. Hear me out," he stuttered at the look of indignation on her face. "That article was slander, and I needed to do damage control. I already removed it." He hated to admit his part in this. He was just glad he didn't have to explain how he, as Adrien, had called Max and had him hack the website, disabling the "current administrator" (he didn't want to give away Marinette's name) and allowing him administrative duties because, as he had told Max, he wanted to "clear Chat Noir's name." "Don't worry about my having control of the website anymore, though. I deleted my account a couple days ago, so you can probably log back on now."

She was too stunned to glare at him, and she supposed she did deserve whatever retribution was coming her way. She also couldn't reveal that she was angry at him for just going along with her plan to fix the mess when they were at Adrien's house, because that was with Ladybug. She seethed quietly, turning on her computer. As she went to sit down, Chat bumped into her desk chair. Hard. She heard her parents stirring downstairs, and she quickly shoved him back in that closet. He peeked around; no Ladybug. When Marinette was sure her parents weren't coming to check on her, she opened the closet door again and sat back down at her computer. Chat stood in awe, watching the girl he was 99% sure was Ladybug. _So this is how she clicks her mouse, _he thought. _This is how Ladybug acts when she's angry. _It made him all the more lovelorn, though he knew he couldn't reveal his thoughts to her.

"Hey," he spoke up suddenly. "You should tell Adrien the good news soon."

"Good news?" she scoffed.

"Yeah, that your account was hacked by me and not some scary cyber thief, and that the article is gone now." He tried to put on a happy face to encourage her.

"I guess so—what the heck!" she whisper-screamed, putting her face closer to her computer screen as she read something. "Did you post this article, Chat?" She turned around, revealing that the screen said "_Ladybug's Lover?" _with a photograph of what was clearly Adrien Agreste kissing Ladybug's cheek. It'd been posted just an hour ago.

"No?" he said, leaning in further to read it himself. "Someone else must be the admin now, because I deleted my account, remember?"

"Or…" she began, closing her eyes in frustration. "It could be the auto-post function that happens after a few days pass with no moderation. I forgot about that. I thought for sure the website would lose popularity when I wasn't approving the posts, but posts still go through, with or without me."

"Well you can remove the article, right? Since you're an admin again?" Chat tried to sound hopeful.

"Not before it reaches the mainstream news. Looks like it already has," she said, pulling up the news website, which featured the article. She clicked play on a live video.

Nadja Chamack was facing the screen with her microphone. _"It seems now we know why Ladybug never responded to Chat Noir's confession; she's taken! And by none other than model Adrien Agreste, no less. Stay tuned for more updates on Paris's superheroes!"_

"Great," Marinette muttered. "Now Adrien's in danger!"

"Or worse," Chat Noir gulped to himself. "In trouble with his dad!"

_It's settled, _Marinette thought to herself. _I can't visit Adrien as Ladybug anymore. _

Chat Noir hurried home and lay in his bed, wondering if—when—his father would come looking for him. He stayed up all night, expecting his father to burst into his room, but instead, he received a phone call at the crack of dawn. When he answered, his father didn't even bother to say hello.

"Is it true? That you're involved with…_Ladybug_?" The name sounded like venom coming from him.

"We're just friends, Father."

"Well, whatever you two are…" Gabriel seemed to think it over. "I think it would be good publicity." What Adrien didn't know was that Gabriel's Hawkmoth side was considering the pros of being so close to Ladybug.

"Wait, what?" Adrien was indignant. "You want me to be with Ladybug just for publicity?"

Gabriel sighed. "What I'm saying is that I give your relationship my blessing. Just don't do anything crazy while I'm gone. Good grief, are those _bags _under your eyes?"

"Where are you?" Adrien asked, suddenly aware that his father was not home.

"I'm on a promo trip…New York. I'll be home in a few days." And with that, he hung up.

Adrien grabbed his belongings in preparation for what would likely be a long, sleepy school day. Still, he was happy to see Marinette—_Ladybug—_and tell her the good news. But as he stepped onto the first step to his school, he was snatched up into the air by a giant hand.

**IMPORTANT! **A/N: I can't decide if I should write in the two fantastic scenes I still have in my head or save those for a fic that isn't as bad as this one…**let me know in the reviews what you think! **Honestly this fic is already a dumpster fire anyway since I can't remember half the necessary info to write new scenes lol (me in my head when I am writing: "Wait…does he know that yet? Guess I gotta go reread the whole thing.").


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I just heard about ANOTHER earthquake, even stronger, in SoCal just moments ago. Please be praying with me for those who are affected by it!

**Chapter Eight**

Ladybug was fast on the trail of the akumatized villain that snatched Adrien into the air. She was quick, purifying the akuma, releasing her ladybugs to fix the damage, and grabbing Adrien's hand to pull him to safety in an alleyway. Impulsively, she hugged him. He stood stunned as she pulled back, placed her hands on his shoulders, and asked, "Are you okay?"

Still a bit starstruck, he nodded. "Yeah…"

"Good, stay here, and I'll go talk to the reporters, okay?" She smiled at him, turning to walk out into the alley.

He suddenly snapped out of it, realizing that she was about to go deny the claims that she was dating him. "Ladybug, wait!" he said, sprinting up behind her and grabbing her hand just as a reporter snapped a shot of them.

Another reporter pushed a microphone in their faces. "Is it true that you two are together?" Enthralled by whatever possible answer they may get, the rest of the reporters were silent for once.

Ladybug opened her mouth to deny it, but Adrien grasped her hand tightly, giving her a look that she somehow knew meant she should let him speak. "I won't confirm or deny anything," he said. Then he turned to Ladybug, and, seeing her confused face, whispered, "Let's go."

She wrapped her arm around him in a romantic fashion over which the press lost their minds, and away they went. Once they'd safely landed on a low rooftop, Ladybug turned to Adrien, gesturing for him to explain. Unsure where to start, he blurted, "We should date."

He watched his Lady turn all the shades of red Marinette turned in his presence. "Date?" she squeaked out. "But you don't know me that well."

"I feel like I do," he said, voice filled with desperation as he grasped her hand in both of his. "And you know me."

"Is this some kind of superstition?" she asked, laughing nervously. "We've only been around each other a few times, and—"

"I know it doesn't make sense now," he said, looking down at their hands. He entwined one of his with hers. The feeling was so familiar that she could have sworn she'd held the hand before. "But it will all make sense soon. I promise. I've loved you ever since I first saw you."

"This is a crazy idea," she whispered as he stepped closer. "But if I'm honest, I feel the same way." It was easy to say with the social moratorium of the mask, hiding her from him.

"So…you'd be okay with being my girlfriend?" He sounded hopeful.

"Yeah, I guess I could, uh, fit that in my schedule," she said, laughing a little bit. It felt nice to not stutter and trip all over herself in front of him.

"Would you be alright with coming on a date with me tomorrow? In costume, of course."

And that's how it all started. Never confirming or denying the rumors, the couple went on simple dates: walks in the park, dinners in cleared-out restaurants, movies in theaters where the darkness concealed Ladybug's presence until the screen lit up her face enough for someone nearby to be momentarily starstruck. She stopped fearing what he was thinking as much as she had before; Adrien proved himself to be less than perfect and even capable of laughing at himself. Particularly, he was glad that his father was happy with the relationship. He had been scolded less and less recently, and on top of that, Hawkmoth rarely released akumas. Adrien and Ladybug both noticed a pattern; when they were together somewhere, there was no akuma, but when they were apart, then someone would become akumatized. Either Hawkmoth was being overly considerate, or something about their separation made akumatization inevitable. He told her as much one day as they walked down the streets of Paris, hand in hand.

"Hmm," Ladybug said, scratching her chin with her free hand. I don't think people are so caught up in our relationship that they get akumatizably sad…but people are making a lot of speculations that we should probably shoot down in some way. That way they won't be disappointed. For example, people think that the previous admin of the Chatroom has to be Ladybug."

"What?" Adrien had not been keeping up with the Chatroom since he'd deleted his account. Marinette had removed the moderation feature and only used her administrative powers to delete the articles that came too close to the truth or went against standards she'd previously posted. "Why do they think that?"

"They say that the timing of both the _"Two-Timing Tomcat?" _and _"Ladybug's Lover" _articles was too convenient. As if I would start a Chat Noir blog," she said, scoffing. Adrien snickered internally.

"Now _that's _something we've gotta work on. If you're going to be my girlfriend—"

"I already am," she interjected with a giggle.

"If you're going to be my girlfriend," he repeated, raising his eyebrows in mock seriousness. "Then you've got to like Chat Noir. Afterall, I'm a big fan of his, remember?"

She laughed. "You say you're a big fan, but you've got nothing to show for it! If you keep defending him, you're going to have me thinking that YOU are Chat Noir."

Adrien nervously chuckled, then decided to cover it up by mocking her tone of voice. "'You say you think I'm Chat Noir, but you've got nothing to show for it!'"

"Well, you've been acting more like him lately." She looked away. Adrien had been telling jokes, being more flirtatious with her, and showing a more valorous side than she'd previously seen in, for example, his anger at Marinette (but not Lila for some reason). And, as much as she hated to admit it, she had taken a liking to Chat Noir lately, not only for how similar to Adrien he now seemed but also for how much he had matured since the whole drama fiasco after the website went up. It was like talking to the same sweet, caring Chat Noir, but with more patience and admirable thoughtfulness.

Chat often showed up at her house, unannounced, in the middle of the night, and when she opened her door to him, he was always kind. She was relieved that they'd forgiven each other for the whole website fiasco, and she even gave him playfully misleading advice on how to win over Ladybug.

"If only she weren't head over heels for that model boy Adrien. I'm sure I'm the next best thing," he said one night, spinning in her desk chair.

She burst into laughter at this. Luckily, she did not have to bother about being ladylike or caring what Chat Noir thought of her; she felt comfortable around Chat Noir now, who was a very good friend since he wasn't flirting with her as Marinette. "You just gotta…keep giving her gifts," she blubbered through her laughter. "I'm sure that'll work sooner or later."

Chat snorted, knowing full well the game Marinette was playing. "And what should I give her?" He always meant these inquiries sincerely, even if she never gave him a serious answer.

She thought for a bit about an answer that wasn't the thing she wanted most but also wasn't something she would hate to receive. In the end, she decided to give him genuine advice. "All joking aside," she said, peering up at him from beneath her lashes, "anything from the heart will do."

"Hmm, from the heart…" He leaned back, still trying to keep a joking tone to the conversation. "What about…a secret confession?"

"What, like the fact that you're afraid of water?" Both of them snorted a bit at that.

"No. Like, an 'I love you' confession?"

Marinette's breath caught in her throat, and she was immediately uncomfortable. "Didn't you already try that before? Besides, she'd never take you seriously, since you always flirt with her anyway."

"Ah, true," Chat said, smiling despite his next words. "Maybe I'll just become Adrien's wingman. I'll give him all the right advice while secretly doing all those things better than him, and then I'll be his best man at the wedding, and I'll run away with Ladybug before the ceremony starts. Easy."

Marinette punched him in the arm, earning a mixture of "meow" and "ow" from him. "Dork."

"Alright, what if I really do give him the advice, to confess a secret. Do you think it'll work on her?"

"If it's sincere, of course." Marinette meant every word, which is why it's so hard to believe what happened when Adrien followed her advice the next night at his date with Ladybug.

**IMPORTANT: A/N: **I will be away at camp next week (from Monday to Thursday). I won't be able to update while I am gone. I plan to finish this fic up tomorrow with a couple more chapters. In the meantime, poll! What MBTI or Jungian type do you think the characters are?


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I have a feeling you'll like this chapter :) This is one of the scenes I was referring to before.

**Chapter Nine**

Their one-month anniversary was celebrated by the media, who had decided the couple were dating whether they admitted it or not. There was a quick check-in with the press after the akuma fight earlier that day, in which Ladybug finally confirmed that yes, "We're a couple," and Chat Noir had to stifle a proud grin when asked how he felt about it.

"I just want what's best for m'Lady," he said sincerely. The crowd of reporters seemed to swoon at this, but Ladybug simply smiled at Chat's answer.

Later that night, Ladybug, hand in hand with Adrien, stepped into an elevator in the tallest building in Paris. ("Why the tallest building?" At her question, Adrien had looked at her with a smile. "To be closer to the stars.") They'd had to sneak in, to avoid the reporters; Adrien had visited the building often and knew of a back entrance to the basement, which had a door to the elevator.

When they reached the roof, there was a blanket, a picnic basket, and candles. It was something similar to what Chat Noir had set up for her before, when she didn't show up until after they'd fought Glaciator. Enchanted, Ladybug turned to Adrien for explanation. "I had a mutual friend of ours set this up before I arrived." He winked at her.

She silently thanked Chat Noir. "I'm so proud of him for maturing. He's being really supportive lately."

Adrien beamed and then tried to cover it up. "Haha, yep, I had a, um, real stern talk with him about it."

His voice was so shaky that Ladybug figured he was joking and laughed. They sat down on the blanket and ate their fill of finger foods, strawberries, and small cheesecake slices. "I got them from my friend Marinette's bakery," Adrien explained. She giggled. They tasted better as a gift from him than they ever did when she made them at home.

As they lay back on the blanket, looking up at the stars, Ladybug said, "It's really pretty," gesturing to the sky. "I'm glad you brought me up here."

"Me too," he said, brows knitted in some sort of internal struggle.

"Wouldn't it be really great," she said as he sat up in what looked like agitation. She wanted to ease his worry, whatever it was, with humor. "If Hawkmoth would stop akumatizing people for a few days? I could finally do some homework. Maybe get some sleep."

He chuckled. "Our minds are on very different things right now."

"What do you mean?" Ladybug sat up beside him. "What are you thinking about?" Adrien picked up her hand and held it to his chest, right above his heart, which was pounding like crazy. "What is it?" she asked, concerned.

"Can you keep a secret?" He said. _Oh, _she realized. _He's confessing something. Chat must have given him the advice I gave him. _

"I mean, yeah, as long as it isn't that you murdered someone," she said, laughing lightly. But he was serious.

He closed his eyes. "Plagg," he said, pausing for a moment. "Claws out!" He transformed into Chat Noir before her eyes, leaving her speechless. He stood in front of her briefly, then knelt and grasped her hand. He pressed his hand to his heart again, which was beating just the same. "It's still me."

She was stunned for a moment more, but then she stood up quickly, almost bumping heads with him. She grasped both of his hands, agitated. "Chat! Now you're in even MORE danger! I can't act the same around you if I know it's you. What if someone figures out who you are?" she whisper screamed, pulling him into the building and back onto the elevator in which they'd ridden to the roof.

"Everything will be fine, just treat me the same way you usually do when I'm wearing the mask." He leaned on the wall, brows knitted in confusion.

"I don't know if I can pull it off." She groaned. "I wish you'd never told me."

"Geez," he said, eyes downcast. "I thought you'd be happy. You're the one who told me to confess a secret after all, Marinette."

She gaped at him, mouth going dry. "You knew this whole time? What—"

He interrupted her by putting his hands on her shoulders and leaning his face close to hers, making her very aware of the height difference. "And if I can act normal after finding out that you're the girl I like, then you can act the same towards me."

A fiery blush spread through her face, and she tried to turn away, but he pulled her closer. "'The girl you like'?" she said tenderly, not meeting his eyes. "Surely not Marinette."

He almost laughed, but then he realized that she was sincere. "I like you with or without the mask," he said, sweeping her into his arms before she could argue. "I always have."

She pulled back, mumbling, "Okay…"

He put his hands back on her shoulders, leaning his head down to meet her eyes. "Could you do the same for me?"

She started to stutter. "Could I l-like you w-with or without the mask?" He nodded in answer. Growing a little bolder, she pushed her chin up, smiling, and said, "I guess I could fit it in my schedule."

He smiled back at her, and just as they were about to kiss, the elevator doors dinged open prematurely, and a couple of civilians scrambled for their phones to take a picture of the couple in their compromising position. Chat Noir lunged for the phone, but it was too late; the civilians ran away as Chat fell on his face. And the next morning, they made the headlines: _"Cheating Couple?"_

A/N: oh no, how will they solve this? Especially since I'm only writing one more chapter?


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: honestly Idk who's even still reading this lol but enjoy if you are

**Chapter Ten**

Marinette was greeted for the fifth day in a row by news stories about Ladybug and Chat Noir while on her walk to school. She was so tired of the gossip and was just about to tell off the next reporter who approached her when she was Ladybug. She decided she would have lunch with Adrien and try to talk it over with him. But when she went to sit with him at lunch, she realized that Alya was furiously interviewing him for her Ladyblog. She stood peeking around the corner into the cafeteria. Adrien looked up and caught her eye, so she gestured with her head in the direction of the lockers.

"Well, Alya," Marinette heard Adrien say, "I've got to get going, okay?" She slipped into the locker room just moments before he arrived. When he did, he shut the door behind him, looked around, and said, "Is anyone in here?"

She shook her head, and he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Tentatively, she hugged back. "What are we going to do?" she asked.

He leaned his head on her shoulder. "I don't know." She sighed, pulling back. He chuckled just a little bit, adding. "For the record, I'd never cheat on you."

"I know," she said. "And I wouldn't cheat on you. But nobody knows who we really are, so how would they know?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her, despite the situation. "Are you suggesting that we give away our identities?"

She laughed a little bit, resting her head against his chest. "As much as I'd like to get the press off our backs, I don't see that as working out in our favor. There's got to be another way."

And that's when he made up his mind. It's also when the latest akumatized villain went flying by the window. The couple gave each other a look, shared a kiss on the cheek, and went to action.

"NOBODY cheats on MY Adrikins," the akumatized…Chloe, apparently, shouted as she swung for Ladybug's head.

"Nobody cheated!" Chat Noir said in a singsong, almost mocking voice.

Suddenly, Chloe, or Chainloe, as she called herself, pointed her finger at Chat Noir, immediately chaining him to the ground. He Cataclysmed the chains and ran off shortly after to recharge his miraculous.

"Chloe," Ladybug started, out of breath. "I didn't cheat on Adrien." She threw up her Lucky Charm, which was just a hammer.

"YEAH RIGHT!" Chainloe screamed. "Since you're so afraid of commitment, I'll make sure you can't leave!"

Chloe pointed a finger at Ladybug, chaining her to the ground by her ankles. Just as Chloe reached for Ladybug's earrings, Adrien slammed into Chloe, pushing her far away from Ladybug. Adrien snatched the pen containing the akuma from Chloe and tossed it to Ladybug, who promptly broke the pen in half with the hammer and purified the akuma. As the duo were preparing to leave, the reporters came flooding onto the scene. Ladybug turned to run, grabbing Adrien's hand. "Come on!"

But he tugged his hand back into hers. "I'll handle it. You need to go before you de-transform."

She sprinted off toward her house, glad to be out of the spotlight for once, and watched as Adrien was broadcast live to her television. "I know you're all wondering how I feel about Ladybug supposedly cheating on me," he said. "But I have a confession to make."

The crowd gasped as if he'd just said he was Hawkmoth. "Are you…?" One brave reporter began.

"Chat Noir?" Adrien asked, laughing. "No, not even close. But I do know Chat Noir, and I know Ladybug. You see, Ladybug and I are good friends. We aren't together, anymore. In fact, the whole reason we were together," he said, taking a deep breath and looking directly into the camera, as if he were talking to only her. "Was so she would see how great Chat Noir is in comparison to me, and instead she would fall for him. And I noticed that we would work better as friends, so I broke up with her."

"So then…can we assume that LadyNoir are a couple now?"

Adrien smirked a little bit. "I'll let you find out from them." Marinette laughed to herself at the irony. "But I will tell you this: Chat Noir really loves that girl."

The reporters kept pestering him, telling him how amazing he was for doing that for LadyNoir, but Marinette heard the echo over and over in her head. _"Chat Noir really loves that girl."_ It was still echoing in her head when the cat in question showed up at her door. When she let him in, tears of gratitude inundated her eyes, and he happily welcomed her into his arms, resting his chin on her head.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for handling this for me."

"Of course, Bugaboo."

She pulled back, looking at him wide-eyed. "Did you really mean what you said at the end of the interview?"

"What, that I'll let them find out from Chat and Ladybug? Not entirely—"

"No," Marinette said, looking down at her shoes. "After that."

"Oh," he said, suddenly smiling again. "Do you need it in writing?"

She giggled. "Just hearing it again would be nice."

He de-transformed and held her hand. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said to both Chat Noir and Adrien.

Bonus scene:

They lay back on her bed, his hand playing with hers in the air. "So there's no more drama between us anymore, right?" he asked.

She laughed a little bit. "Man, I really hope not. I'm exhausted." She looked at the weird face he was making. "What, do you have more?!"

"I just can't believe you cheated on me with Chat Noir," Adrien scoffed.

"Hey! That was ONE TIME!"

**A/N: Well? Lemme know what you think!**


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